The body of Basant Kumar Bhatta, who worked as a 'Gaon Sathi' at Durgapanda, was found with gunshot marks this morning, said Additional Superintendent of Police Chandra Sekhar Hota.

Basant Kumar Bhatta was kidnapped from his house yesterday (Representational)

Phulbani, Odisha: The bullet riddled body of a 'Gaon Sathi' was found today near a village a day after he was kidnapped allegedly by Maoists in Kandhamal district, the police said.

The body of Basant Kumar Bhatta, who worked as a 'Gaon Sathi' at Durgapanda, was found with gunshot marks this morning, said Additional Superintendent of Police Chandra Sekhar Hota.

Hand-written notes and posters bearing the name of BGN (Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagavali) division of Maoists were found near the body with a message that Bhatta was eliminated as he functioned as a police informer, he said.

Odisha government has recruited 'Gaon Sathis' in January 2008, two in each village, under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), to facilitate smooth implementation and execution of the scheme.